Rank outsider Inquisition showed remarkable improvement over his known form to stun a group of reputed sprinters at the Bangalore races on Saturday. Coming with a spirited run through the middle, he went ahead in the final furlong and hung onto his advantage to lift The FK Irani Memorial Trophy. The setting was a sprint for those rated in the highest category. Speedy horses like Esteban, Cape Ferrat, Secret Punch, Chase The Sun and Icelander were amongst the twelve acceptors in this race. Most of them had been racing against each other in recent times and had been finishing in close proximity to each other. Since their recent form was pretty “ordinary”, it was difficult to predict who was going to win today. In the absence of a clear favourite, punters were able to back their choices at 4’s and over. Jersey Shore was the only three year old that had accepted to oppose his older counterparts. However, his repeated failures at this level over a marginally longer trip had forced the trainer to run him in this race. One runner that was given no chance whatsoever by the betting public was Darius Byramji’s Inquisition. He was known to be a middle distance runner that had already run twice in the last one month. In both those starts, he had found it difficult to figure on the result boards. He was accordingly available at 170/1 at the totalizators.

 The start of this race witnessed a mild scramble to go to the front. Finally it was Thoughts N Actions who wrested the initiative ahead of Cape Ferrat, Secret Punch and Icelander. The four of them raced ahead of a tightly packed group headed by Inquisition and Jersey Shore. Public choice Chase The Sun had taken a lethargic start and was seen gracing the rear. It was Cape Ferrat who got stronger in the straight and enjoyed a clear advantage into the final furlong. He was seen being challenged by Secret Punch and Icelander as they approached the distance post. Not many noticed the movements of a couple of horses that were seen galloping on the wide outside. Both Inquisition and Jersey Shore devoured ground to move ahead of the others. Under some strong pushing from Vinod Shinde, Inquisition went on to score from Jersey Shore, Cape Ferrat and Secret Punch.  Chase The Sun made up acres of ground on the very wide outside to finish close behind the first four finishers. Since the present trip was a bit short for her, Chase The Sun can be expected to win a race before the end of this season. Now that Inquisition has re-discovered his winning form, he may do well over trips that are better suited to his style of running.

 After adding to his personal tally by scoring a point in the day’s feature, Darius completed a  double by saddling a winner in the last race of the day. Four year old Blizzard Of Oz had been fancied a number of times , but this nice looking horse had failed to emerge from the maiden ranks. After impressing in his morning trials, he would refuse to repeat that form on the race track. Darius decided to keep him in light work in recent weeks and hoped that Blizzard Of Oz would improve his performance on grass. The horse was entered in a sprint for those in the lowest category. Since his training schedule had been altered, Blizzard of Oz was allowed to run freely in this race. He carried Imran Chisty to the front and made every post a winning one. He tended to “loaf” in the final furlong, but once he was reminded of his task by the rider, Blizzard Of Oz galloped away to win by almost five lengths from Gagan Star and Angel Queen. As the winner is sure to receive a sizable penalty for today’s victory, it may take him a while to re-enter the winners enclosure. After his three winners yesterday, this was the Imran Chisty’s fifth success of the week-end.

 Imran had ridden an earlier winner for Rashid Byramji. Three year old Triumph was running after a gap of almost five months, and his recent workouts in the morning suggested that the stoutly built horse was in good condition. Since he was still a maiden, Triumph was placed near the bottom of the scale. He had elected to oppose a strongly fancied Cardigan Bay. After being gelded a few months ago, Cardigan Bay had already had a run this season. Both these horses had been showing out on the sand track and were reportedly in good condition. The hype around Cardigan Bay ensured that the mount of Suraj Narredu started as an even money favourite to win this race. Imran Chisty made use of his innermost draw and pushed Triumph into an early advantage over Feet Of Fire. It took Suraj a bit of time to bring Cardigan Bay into the picture. Since both these fancied runners galloped comfortably and were yet to be extended, it was difficult to say who was traveling better than the other. The answer to this question was clear in the straight. While Triumph sizzled ahead in the final furlong, Cardigan Bay ducked inwards and came to a crawl. With Imran continuing to urge Triumph till the very end, the margin of victory kept getting bigger and bigger. A tired Feet On Fire managed to retain her third spot ahead of a totally disinterested Himavari. This victory of Triumph confirmed that he is destined for much higher laurels, and those who love to bet, must back him in his next couple of starts.

 The other professionals to score a double on Saturday were trainer Arjun Mangalorkar and his regular rider S John. The Shantiniketan Cup, a nine furlong handicap for horses in class III, was the added attraction in the day’s card. A number of three year olds with Classic aspirations were being tested in this race. Top weighted Ace Badraan, who had ended second behind a talented Evraz, was backed with confidence to start as the first choice of the punters. The presence of Anjar Alam in the saddle did not deter his backers, as they felt that he was much better than his seven opponents. Horses like Sur La Tete, Pursuit Of Fame  and Amazonas were quietly fancied by their respective yards. Pursuit Of Fame and Amazonas went at a good gallop and skipped a couple of lengths clear of Zagato and Crown Emperor. Ace Badraan raced well within himself in fifth, while All Proof and Sur La Tete brought up the rear. The pace picked up steadily and the runners began to get closer at the final bend. Pursuit Of Fame managed to shake-off those around him and went a couple of lengths clear of the others. The only one who managed to extricate himself from the chasing pack was Ace Badraan. He tried his best to bridge the gap, but soon realized that he was fighting a lost cause. With John urging him relentlessly, Arjun Mangalorkar’s Pursuit Of Fame got stronger with each stride and sailed away for a brilliant victory. Ace Badraan, a late finishing All Proof and a totally exhausted Amazonas took the minor slots on the result boards.

The other winner for them was a two year old named Medinah. This son of Razeen was touted as one of the top youngsters based at this centre. According to most track reporters, Medinah had been doing some exceptional work on the sand track. With money flowing in the direction of Jingle Bells, the odds against Medinah expanded rapidly. Dhariwal trained Ocean Park was another runner who had impressed in an earlier start. This horse played up opposite the stands and dropped Vaibhav on his way to the starting gates. He galloped riderless in anti-clockwise direction and was apprehended by the handlers near the gates. Under normal circumstances, such a horse is generally withdrawn . But for reasons best known to the authorities, he was allowed to participate in this race. A speedy Shaft used his early speed and showed the way to Ocean Park and Amanda. The fancied pair of Medinah and Jingle Bells were seen being niggled by their respective riders, as the closely bunched group entered the straight. While Ocean Park and Amanda got tired at that stage, the one that moved like an arrow through the inner rails was Medinah. He quickened like a seasoned campaigner and strode clear of Shaft. The margin between them got wider with each passing moment. This strong galloper owned by Dilip Thomas ended many lengths clear of Shaft. Jingle Bells came with a short burst of speed to get the better of Ocean Park near the winning post. Medinah is a strong youngster with a very bright future. His manner of running as well as his pedigree make it amply clear that he would be more effective over a longer trip.

 The lower division of this juvenile event was claimed by Suleiman Attaolahi’s Salina.  The filly started as a joint favourite alongside Pippin, but once the horses appeared in the parade ring, the picture became clearer. While Salina looked extremely fit, Pippin appeared to be a bit “gross”.  This altered the scene in the bookmakers ring. Salina was smoothly backed down to odds-on favouritism.  Pippin leapt out of his inner draw, and with Ryan Marshall in the saddle, strode clear of Secret Launch. Jockey Beuzelin did well to settle Salina in mid group, and the filly traveled well within herself till the bend. It was hereabouts that Salina made her final move. She came with giant strides and went clear of Pippin and a late finishing Little Brown Jug. The one that is sure to improve after today’s experience is Pippin. After shedding some weight and stripping fitter, Pippin will be a tough opponent for most youngsters at Bangalore.

 The only other race in the day’s card produced a bigger shock than that witnessed in the day’s feature. It was a seven furlong event for those in class II. A number of horses including Diamonite, Real Steel, Novel Approach, Ethophian and Open page were running with a realistic chance of landing the spoils. Even though Narayana Gowda’s Ethophian was attempting to complete a hat-trick of victories in less than a month, he was the medium of some spirited betting. Despite his wide draw, a stiff penalty for his previous victory  and the presence of rookie Tauseef in the saddle, there was no stopping the connections from backing this bandaged runner with confidence. Babu Rao’s Frenemee was another runner that belonged to the same gentleman who owned Ethophian. Frenemee was perhaps entered in this race to set pace for his ownermate. In the hands of Shanth Kumar, this 200/1 outsider set pace along with Magnitude Star and brought the twelve horse field into view. Ethophian was a handy third ahead of Lad Star and Real Steel. The race took a serious turn in the straight. Ethophian came with a smooth run through the middle and collared Frenemee near the distance post. The rest of them began to fall back under pressure. Just as Ethophian managed to get his neck in front of Frenemee, the latter fought back towards the inside rails. With Shanth Kumar waving his whip at Frenemee, the four year old regained a slender advantage and managed to hold onto it till the winning post. A stunned audience watched in complete silence as he walked towards the winners enclosure. Lad Star, Real Steel and Magnitude Star fought a hard battle for the minor placings. Even though he lost this race, Ethophian’s gallant effort was praised by most present at the race course on Saturday.